We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.


If you are a developer attending BlackBerry Jam one question you may have is how to launch your application across multiple platforms without building multiple bar or bundle files. During one of the Webworks sessions I attended here at Jam, they discussed different techniques that can be implemented to target multiple platforms running BB10 with only one application. There was a Cascades version of this session running concurrently at Jam as well, however, my background is in Webworks so I chose to attend this one.

Entitled Three Devices, One App! Bryan Tafel and Mariano Carrizo of BlackBerry Latin America presented a brief overview of the various methods geared towards coding an application compatible with the different BlackBerry devices and their different resolutions. As keyboard devices are 720 x 720 pixels, the Z10 is 768 x 1280, and future devices will be 720 x 1280 they provided code samples, best practices, and demos (including testing on Ripple) on how applications can look and run great on all of these form factors with only one application.

By implementing these simple tweaks and variations, developers can maintain their applications (and updates) which gives them the flexibility needed to adjust or stretch content fit to any screen. This not only allows the screen resolution and orientation to be controlled with just a simple line of code but a single image can automatically be adjusted in some circumstances to the correct scale without losing quality or becoming pixilated.  

Keep in mind this only applies to developers using third party frameworks such as PhoneGap, jQuery, and Sencha. For those currently using bbUI.js, it already incorporates the necessary code to adapt to the different sizes. Some of the techniques discussed involved switching from absolute to stack/flexible layouts, as well as sample codes for CSS media queries, viewport meta tags, and utilizing responsive images. All of these methods offer a common code and/or modify the stylesheet rules.

Depending on the framework used to create your application in HTML these minor adjustments help optimize your application (including battery life and reduce screen burn-in), reduce maintenance on your device, and offer an improved user experience. It is all part of BlackBerry's commitment to only having one application for all devices.

Additional information on the full BlackBerry 10 guidelines and best practices can be found at the link below. 

More information on BlackBerry 10 UI guidelines

Read more